I'm the guy who sold the K-380 horns referenced in the first post. They were significantly under rated for my boat (45' rated on a 65' boat). I ended up upgrading to the D-0A horns and compressor package which is IMO certified for up to 65', and I'm 64.5'.

I'm the guy who bought the K-380 horns from Twistedtree. (Thanks again, Peter!!) They're proudly installed on my 34 footer. When I first tested them after installation in my slip, the USCG crews who are docked behind my slip gave me an approval cheer.

They are appropriately sized for my vessel and are very loud! I have a fwd stbd door and felt they'd be too loud to use when the door is open so I mounted them on the port side. I try to always warn crew and passengers before sounding the horns.

The final cost due to an insurance claim on damage to the horns in shipping resulted in a final cost of 0.164 BU. Best $$ I've spent all year on my boat!

Are you mounting that on your kayak? It might scare the birds out of your way.

Nope. The kayaks are for super ninja stealth mode approaches to wildlife, so no need for a horn. Then again, it could scare away the bigger critters if they ever figure out that kayaks are crunchy on the outside and chewy/juicy in the middle...

Actually, with the amount of vessel traffic where we live (usually have miles between vessels and anchorages to ourselves) the horn will be mostly for CG compliance. Planning on going to Vancouver in a couple years, so might need it then.

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So I'm reading this thread and thinking it might be a good idea to upgrade to a Kalenberg air horn during the refit. How about a nice whistle also while I'm at it. It's probably an omen when they don't list the air cfm requirment for the whistles. Seems the one I like requires 1-1/4" pipe. Maybe I'll just focus on a horn.

Edit: Found it in the specifications, 838 scfm.

Ted

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Twice per trip coming and going from the marina...the Coasties are right there behind me, so I'm trying to gain some trawler cred. Then if I ever see a kayaker in the main river, I use it as I pass him just to scare the bejeebees out of him. Then when I see a ferry, I blow it as a greeting to all the passengers. If there are kids on the shore pumping their fists up and down, I will give them a long blow.

I use it as I pass him just to scare the bejeebees out of him. Then when I see a ferry, I blow it as a greeting to all the passengers. If there are kids on the shore pumping their fists up and down, I will give them a long blow.

Having access to a big ass horn has been a perk of my job. People never seem to get tired of it. It's like being in a parade wherever I go. Some people lose their minds with excitement and childlike joy. Some kids start crying and fall down. Either way, its very satisfying.

Twice per trip coming and going from the marina...the Coasties are right there behind me, so I'm trying to gain some trawler cred. Then if I ever see a kayaker in the main river, I use it as I pass him just to scare the bejeebees out of him. Then when I see a ferry, I blow it as a greeting to all the passengers. If there are kids on the shore pumping their fists up and down, I will give them a long blow.

Other than that, I hardly ever use it.

Pretty much same for us, except for the part about the Coasties being behind us. Actually, we use the horn when leaving the marina due to a blind turn. When greeting other boats, pleasing the kids, or greeting the passengers on the tour boats, we use the air whistle (every tug needs a whistle). When we pass friends at marinas or approach a raft up, we usually have people begging us to blow the whistle. Only down side to the whistle is that it takes about five minutes to build up enough air pressure for it to work at full db.

Boat is equipped with original Buell Triplex horns. The Buell compressor was toast, so I inquired as to the cost of a replacement. Suffice it to say, Buell is mighty proud of their stuff. Wound up replacing it with a 12 v off-road tire comprssor that works great.

Unsure as to frequency and db rating - never able to locate real specs from Buell. On a functional basis - loud! Sounds like a freighter. Enough that I warn passengers (if possible) before sounding.

Use it infrequently. Let kids sound it when we're well away from traffic.

Aside from VSCs or a very occasional warning shot to inattentive traffic, it just sits there and looks pretty.